Comparison

JustChords vs Recording Mate

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

JustChords

Organize your song library with chord charts and lyrics. Create or import songs, sync across devices, and build setlists for live performances. Supports various music notations and audio playback.

Highlights
  • Chord chart and lyric editor
  • Import songs from online sources
  • iCloud device syncing
  • Setlist creation and sharing
  • AirPlay lyric projection
  • Audio player and recorder
  • Support for multiple music notations
Read full description

JustChords is your complete tool for cataloging chord charts and lyrics. Create charts from scratch, import them from files, or pull them from online sources — building a library that's always with you, synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac via iCloud. Use JustChords standalone or as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW. FEATURES • Setlists, with sharing and collaboration • Song editor is based on ChordPro and supports chords & lyrics, note sheets (PDF), chord beats, guitar tabs and ABC notation • Change Key, Capo, Piano Transpose, Rewrite into key • Metronome & Tuner • Autoscroll • Guitar, ukulele and piano chord diagrams, including alternate tunings • Audio player & recorder. Attach your tracks from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, URL or local file • Project lyrics or a dedicated stage display via AirPlay, with rich configuration options • Bluetooth / MIDI pedal support • Chord Beats — visualize chord duration right in your chords & lyrics, send chord notes over MIDI as they play, and trigger predefined MIDI messages on section changes • Tonic Pad — an ambient backing pad matched to your song's key • PlayTogether — keep your whole band in sync live, hands-free

About

Recording Mate

Features
Read full description

An SV2 MIDI device is required. Recording Mate is a simple MIDI recording app that lets you connect an SV2 MIDI device, record your performance, and play it back easily. You can record up to 4 tracks, making it easy to separate different instruments or performance parts. Recorded tracks can be played back instantly, and you can mute specific tracks when you want to listen to only selected parts. Your MIDI performance can be saved as a MIDI file and shared with other apps or devices. Key Features: SV2 MIDI device connection support Record up to 4 MIDI tracks Track playback and mute control Delete and re-record tracks Save and share MIDI files

Screenshots

JustChords4 screens
Recording Mate3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Recording Mate at none against JustChords's 7. Recording Mate also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.5). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. JustChords sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Recording Mate asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JustChords ships an update every 2 weeks, Recording Mate every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
JustChords versus Recording Mate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJustChordsRecording Mate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (350 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews95.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings350 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.515.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB40 MB
Age rating4+17+
Developerget started s. r. o.sung keun lee

Bugs and requests

JustChords

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes when importing songs from online sources
  • Pinch zoom feature stopped working
  • Songs disappearing from library
  • App unable to load songs from library in certain conditions
  • Multi-column view not functioning on iPad
Show 6 more
  • PDF export inconsistently includes/excludes metadata
  • Control+S keyboard shortcut non-functional on iPad and desktop
  • Choppy scrolling between songs
  • Tagging system filters incorrectly (excludes songs with multiple tags)
  • Songs won't open when tapped (reported on iPhone 8 with iOS 16.7.4)
  • Sticky notes placement requires manual adjustment

Requested features

8 requests
  • Apple Pencil direct annotation with eraser capability
  • Standard tag filtering logic (show songs with selected tags)
  • Bluetooth pedal support for song navigation without touching device
  • Web-based editor for songs
  • Direct in-app sharing to other users
Show 3 more
  • Improved documentation and user manual
  • Smoother song-to-song scrolling transitions
  • Dark mode option

Recording Mate

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

JustChords

One-time7
  • Buy me a coffee$0.99
  • Nice Chords!$2.99
  • Buy me a pineapple$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Rock On!$6.99
  • Buy me a book$7.99
  • Big Thanks!$17.99
  • Legendary Support!$44.99
None

Recording Mate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JustChords free?
JustChords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Recording Mate free?
Recording Mate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do JustChords or Recording Mate have ads?
Neither JustChords nor Recording Mate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JustChords or Recording Mate?
JustChords ships an update every 2 weeks, and Recording Mate every 3 weeks. Most recently, JustChords was updated on October 27, 2026 and Recording Mate on October 24, 2026.

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